Menno S. Clemmer

Other Events:

• Interesting: misfortune, life story
• Misfortune: poisoned by eating wild parsnips
• Eby ID Number: 00024-1927
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone of Menno S. Clemmer
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

On the 26th of April, in Waterloo Township, two sons of Abraham B. CLEMMER, aged 16 years and 7 months, and 14 years and 7 days respectively. They were engaged in hauling stone, and, driving through marshy ground where the wheels of the wagon turned up wild parsnips. The younger took up some of the roots, and ate them, and also induced his brother to eat some; and in an hour and a half they were both dead, having been poisoned thereby. They were buried on the 28th. A large concourse of people were present, so that there was not room for them in the house. The funeral sermons were, therefore, delivered by Joseph Hegy and John Bear in the grave yard.
ELIAS SNYDER.


HERALD OF TRUTH - Volume IV, Number 6 - June 1867, Page 95

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An affecting Incident

On the 26th of April last, the following sad incident occurred. Two sons of Abraham Clemmer, one aged 16 years, 7 months, and 11 days, the other 14 years, 7 months, and 21 days, were at work in the field. The younger had just gone home to get a piece to eat, when his sister requested him to assist her a little at cleaning up the yard, a service which he was usually willing to do, but on this occasion declined, saying, that he must hasten to the field again. On reaching the field he found a fresh, tender plant, which the physician called wild parsley (others call it wild parsnip), and relishing its (as he imagined) agreeable taste, he ate the greater part of it, and told his brother about the deliciousness of the plant he had eaten. The elder brother desirous of partaking of the same ate the balance of it, and within an hour and a half both brothers were corpses. " The poison soon deprived them of their senses, and had so violent an effect on them, that they were immediately seized with convulsions, the blood meanwhile being forced from their noses, mouths, and ears. Their sister and another young woman who was present at the time, and after the corpses were laid out, went into a private room, and each taking up a hymn book, sought to derive comfort from the first words that might be presented to their minds after witnessing so distressing a scene, and strange to say the same hymn was presented, at the same time, to each, as they opened their books, commencing,

"Wenn ich es recht betracht'
Und sehe Tag und Nacht,
Ja Stund und Zeite,
Hingehen so geschwind,
Geschwinder als der Wind,
Zur Ewigkeite", &c.

At the same time while these boys were in their sufferings, a funeral was taking place at Eby's Meeting-house, where a good many people and ministers were present attending the funeral, when several of the ministers, and probably others, saw as it were a flash of lightning over the place where the young people were sitting, though the sky was entirely clear. These remarkable events have no doubt, if considered with their whole bearing, important claims on the attention of the young; who, no doubt, are poisoned by the poisonous plants of sin, such as the lusts of the eyes, the lusts of the flesh, the pride of life, which were not planted by the Father, but my world whose god is Satan, 1 John 2: 16, Math. 15: 13. Hence the world is a great sinner and under condemnation (1 Cor 11: 32); and all that have given their affections to the world, have become poisoned and are in danger of perishing, being under condemnation. On the other hand, he that does the will of God, shall escape unhurt for ever. As the physicians assert in the case of the above-mentioned youths, the effect of the poison was, to force the blood to the head so as to deprive them of their senses, and thus hurry them to a premature death; so also in the case of the young persons who indulge in forbidden lusts, the effect of their deeds is to deprive them of their spiritual senses and hurry them to an eternal death.

Of the creation it is said, "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And evening and the morning were the sixth day." And again (Gen 1: 29), "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat; and it was so." Then there was evidently yet no deadly plant. This was the result of the curse in the things of nature in consequence of the transgression of man. Paul says (Rom 8: 20), "The creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope." In consequence of the fall of man the earth was cursed (Gen 3: 13); not only the field, but death came upon all nature. Hence a great change took place in the entire creation. The heavenly harmony which prevailed in every department of creation was marred. The powers of life which had been diffused through the works of God, continued not. Peace then gave way to strife and contention. Decay and death took the place of the life that through the power of God faded not away. This came to pass without any fault in creation, and is opposed to its own existence. It shrinks back from death. Vegetation forces its way to the light; animals seek their food and with surprising instinct avoid that which is injurious. How affecting oftentimes the distressful cries and groans of ill-treated creatures of the animal world fall on our ears! All things desire life, are glad of their existence, and aspire after a better and higher state of life.

No animal would have touched, much less eaten, the poisonous plant above mentioned. Alas! What a noble treasure has man lost by the fall! Though as the creation man was to have dominion over the creatures, yet in this case, as in many others, we see man occupying a lower rank than the brute creation. O man! whosoever you are, whether old or young, struggle and groan with the rest of creation for redemption. Paul says "the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." With the pains of travail is joined the hope of giving life to a new being. So all creation is not groaning and travailing in pain.

The funeral services of the above-said youth took place on Sunday the 28th, at Schneider's Burying-ground, where a short sermon was preached from Gen. 3. concerning indulgence in forbidden enjoyments, and from Luke 21: 36. The funeral was preached in the church-yard, as there was not room in the church for the great numbers that were present. Waterloo, C. W.


HERALD OF TRUTH - Volume IV, Number 8 - August 1867 pages 115, 116